General Music Outside

• Danielle Hommel
• Posted 8/10/21
• 0 comments

General Music Outside? Why not?

Teaching my General Music classes outside to keep students safe while actively participating in music lessons was a wonderful solution to learning obstacles during the pandemic. General Music lessons outside brought many new teaching opportunities that make the most of working with wiggly bodies that just need to move!

Staff on the Grass

Using a line painter and white field paint, I painted five lines and four spaces on the grass for my outdoor classroom. The grass staff offered note reading review lessons for my fourth- and fifth-grade students and beginning note reading lessons for my third-grade students. 

Treble Clef Golf 

I placed sticks in the ground as the “golfing tees” and used small beach balls for golf balls. Students were given a half-sized pool noodle for the golf club. Six students would try to use one golfing stroke to land their ball, as it was called, on the correct line or space.  Golfing created competition in note reading skills and the appropriate stroke strength! 

Sack Races/Jump the Song 

Sack Races were the favorite among my students. For many, this was the first time they participated in a sack race! I used feed bags I purchased from a farm store. Either four (space lanes) or five students (lines) would jump at a time. Students would earn their chance to jump in the race by naming the line or space.  

The race would begin when I started playing “Hot Cross Buns” on the trumpet. My tempo would follow the speed of the jumpers, offering a review in tempo markings. Jump the Song also used the sacks.

First, students reviewed the note names and rhythm to “Hot Cross Buns.” They then sang the notes and jumped the rhythm on the appropriate lines and spaces. As the students jumped, I would play the song.

If they jumped to the incorrect line or space, I would play the wrong note. My third-grade students did not have the opportunity to play this classic song on their recorders this year. Hopefully, this will help them when they do get to play their recorders! 

Summer Olympics

I turned this year’s field day into week-long activities, using Summer Olympics as the theme. Holding music class outside opened up new opportunities that included more than listening and discussing national anthems and the “Olympic Fanfare and Theme” by John Williams (RevBillyRayCollins, 2011) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCqUESCoB1w.

Rhythm Soccer

I covered hula hoops with painter’s tape in the five colors of the Olympic rings and displayed them using my gong stand. I separated students into two teams. Each team would send a member to identify the correct tapped rhythmic notation.  

The first student to identify the notation correctly would have the first opportunity to kick the beach ball into the Olympic rings. This activity became a team-building experience while students would cheer on their classmates and offer suggestions on how hard to kick, what ring to kick the ball into, and ball placement. 

Ping Pong

Students were amazed to learn table tennis is an Olympic sport! I took this opportunity to highlight the SEL benefits of music. By choosing a fast-paced piece, “Sabre Dance” by Aram Khachaturian (TheWicked North, 2008) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqg3l3r_DRI&t=2s. 

I provided a joyous mood-altering moment for students to work with a partner keeping a ping pong ball (balloon) from hitting the grass while being hit back and forth across picnic tables with paddles (paper plates taped to painter’s sticks). On windy days, we substituted balloons with small beach balls. Laughter and smiles made this activity a hit. 

45-Minute Outdoor Lessons

In addition to the field day, students also enjoyed one class period lessons outside. When the grass was wet, I would take the students out to the blacktop to enjoy classic Double Dutch jump roping rhymes.  Old-Fashioned jump rope rhymes are not only great exercise but also help to teach speed and rhythm (Adcox, 2021) https://www.verywellfamily.com/old-fashioned-jump-rope-rhymes-1696145.

Using parachutes, students explored a wide range of musical styles. You can find a wide selection of musical parachute activities on YouTube.  

Although initially not outside, my students enjoyed Cardio Desk Drumming. I quickly learned performing the drumming routines with pool noodles on desks in classrooms was too loud for the neighboring classrooms. Therefore, I substituted the desks with bucket drums and performed outside. Kent Hamilton on YouTube has several Cardio Desk Drumming Routines (Kent Hamilton, 2020) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVIXnuGs7hg.

1812 Overture Cannon Launch

The last outdoor activity this school year was the “1812 Overture” cannon launch. 

First, students listened to and learned the history of the “1812 Overture Finale” by Tchaikovsky (Facundo JG, 2008) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2W1Wi2U9sQ&t=189s. Next, the students built a simple balloon cup launcher (Jewish Media Network, 2016) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl_c7TJIkVI. Finally, the students launched ping pong balls during the cannon fires in the finale, while the remaining students would take turns musically illustrating the sound on the bass drum.

I had students count the main theme being played four times, about 3 minutes into the recording, and then allowed them to launch their “cannons” with the recording. This activity provided an excellent opportunity to have students listen to and be aware of the music often played during summer firework displays. 

Take Away

Outdoor music class was a positive experience that came from the pandemic. My students enjoyed working with me to add their additions and changes to the music lessons. When the new school year begins, I will be watching the hourly forecast and looking forward to teaching new outdoor music lessons! 

References

Adox, S. (2021, April 13). Old Fashioned Jump Rope Songs and Rhymes. https://www.verywellfamily.com/old-fashioned-jump-rope-rhymes-1696145

Facundo JG. (2008). Piotr Ilich Tchaikovsky, 1812 Overture Finale [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2W1Wi2U9sQ&t=5s

Jewish Media Network. (2016, November 11). How to Make a Balloon Popper — Make it or Bake it [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl_c7TJIkVI 

Kent Hamilton. (2020, October 22). Cardio Desk Drumming — “We Will Rock You.” [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVIXnuGs7hg

RevBillyRayCollins. (2011, May 28). John Williams: “Olympic Fanfare and Theme.” [Video] YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCqUESCoB1w 

The Wicked North. (2008). Sabre Dance – Aram Khachaturian. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCqUESCoB1w

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